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Queste (Septimus Heap #4)

by Angie Sage

4.05 · rating details · 7,373 ratings · 524 reviews

There's trouble at the Castle, and it's all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans--they are headed for the mysterious House of Fory

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Paperback, 596 pages

Published April 10th 2009 by Katherine Tegen Books (first published January 1st 2008)

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Apr 23, 2008

MountainLaurel rated it

· review of another edition

While this book was good, I didn't think it was as well done as the other Septimus Heap books. The story seemed less developed, without as many of the little details that make everything work out in the end so well and cleverly as in the other books. But I still liked it and I look forward to reading Septimus #5! ...I just hope it's a little more original.

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Jul 15, 2008

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

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Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

The fourth tale of Septimus Heap delivers action, adventure, magic, and a good share of surprises.

The tale begins when Nicko Heap and Snorri, who in a previous book found themselves transported out of their own Time, discover a clue that might allow them to return to their home Time. However, the path home is a tricky one: Nicko and Snorri must find their way to the mysterious House of Foryx, "the place where all Times ...moreReviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

The fourth tale of Septimus Heap delivers action, adventure, magic, and a good share of surprises.

The tale begins when Nicko Heap and Snorri, who in a previous book found themselves transported out of their own Time, discover a clue that might allow them to return to their home Time. However, the path home is a tricky one: Nicko and Snorri must find their way to the mysterious House of Foryx, "the place where all Times do meet." Once they are there, the difficulties are not over. Finding and entering the House of Foryx is hard enough, but once they are in, they must wait for someone from their own Time to enter before they will be able to leave and return home.

Meanwhile, the notes regarding Nicko and Snorri's preparations for this journey have survived until Septimus's time, under the care of the long-lived alchemist Marcellus Pye. Using the notes and lists that Nick has left behind, Septimus and Jenna are able to figure out what it is that Nicko and Snorri are attempting, and set off to reach the House of Foryx themselves, so that their appearance might allow Nicko and Snorri to return to the correct Time. However, their plans are complicated by the pernicious ghost of Tertius Fume, who contrives to send Septimus against his will on a Queste from which no apprentice wizard has ever returned.

While the plot rambled in places, I enjoyed the overall arc of the story, and in the end I was glad for the slow development at the beginning which built up to the climax. Sage's characterization was impressive; I got a good idea of the relationships that had formed between characters in previous books, as well as a sense of their internal states and motivations. Her large cast of secondary characters was deftly managed as well.

As a newcomer to the series, getting my bearings was slightly confusing, but after a while I began to understand the backstory better, thanks to the author's hints and insinuations at what had happened before this book. There were still moments when I felt like I was missing out on something--moments where I was sure that the emotional impact would have been greater had I read the previous three books in the series--but overall I was still able to enjoy it, and would recommend it thoroughly.
(less)

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May 05, 2008

Nick rated it

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Ok, so I'm always on the lookout for a series I'll enjoy as much as the late lamented Harry Potter. This is not quite it, but it's not too bad, if you're 12 and need a good summer read. Or if you still remember what it was like to curl up on the window seat on a rainy day in July with nothing more to do than to lose yourself in a fantasy novel complete with wizards, dragons, quests, and Stanley's Message Rat Service. My excuse is I have nephews and nieces.... Who need the occasional birthday ...more

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May 22, 2008

Julie rated it

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While I really enjoyed the first three books, I feel that Angie Sage has really hit her stride with this one. Now that all of the characters are firmly situated in their Magykal world, she can focus on certain protagonists without the feeling (as in the third book) that she is including a few vignettes to remind us about the existence of all the various cast members. Once again the short chapters move things along quickly as we ping-pong between different places and characters, but most of the...more

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Sep 28, 2008

Deborah rated it

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Shelves: kids-stuff

This is the fourth book in the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, and I have to say that it's as good as the other three. I enjoy the characters, the settings, the stylistic originalities. It is not a Harry Potter clone, it can stand well on its own. Good story, likable people, cool magic, even a dragon and some ghosts thrown in, with enough chilling "Darke Magyk" to raise the hair on the back of my neck, without being as scary as some of the later Potter books. Nice for younger fans,...more

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May 15, 2011

Cynthyage added it · review of another edition

QUESTE takes Septimus, Jenna and Beetle in search of Nicko and Snorri, to bring them back from the past. They go to Marcellus Pye, who has remembered some information from his 500 year old memory and provides them with some notes from Nicko and Snorri. The notes say that they planned to travel to the House Of Foryx where all times meet, and there they expected to come back to their time. Jenna takes the notes back with her to the Palace.
In the meantime, Merrin Meredith travels to the Castl...moreQUESTE takes Septimus, Jenna and Beetle in search of Nicko and Snorri, to bring them back from the past. They go to Marcellus Pye, who has remembered some information from his 500 year old memory and provides them with some notes from Nicko and Snorri. The notes say that they planned to travel to the House Of Foryx where all times meet, and there they expected to come back to their time. Jenna takes the notes back with her to the Palace.
In the meantime, Merrin Meredith travels to the Castle in hope of destroying Septimus. He bumps into Jenna who drops all the notes of Nicko and Snorri, they get wet. Jenna goes to the The Manuscriptorium and asks Beetle to help her replace the notes. Beetle then takes her to the restoration specialist Ephaniah Grebe. Ephaniah is a half man-half rat being. He Restores the pages and binds them in to a book, but they still miss one piece, the center of the map to the House of Foryx.
Merrin, in the meantime, takes the job of a scribe in the Manuscriptorium. There he meets the ghost of Tertius Fume, the first Chief Hermetic Scribe. Tertius makes him transfer the loyalty of the Thing to him and assures that he will send Septimus on a perilous Queste. Tertius Fume arrives at the Wizard Tower along with the ghosts of all the previous ExtraOrdinary Wizards and announces that they are about to draw the Queste stone. Septimus feels a Darkenesse inside the urn where the stone is kept and tells that a Thing is there to sabotage the draw. They escape the Wizard tower as Tertius Fume puts it under Siege. But accidentally Septimus takes the Queste stone from Hildegard thinking it to be a safe charm despite what Marcia says about taking charms from strangers.
Septimus, Jenna and Beetle start their journey to the House of Foryx. Sam Heap shows them the way. They eventually reach the House and find Ephaniah near it. He had found the last missing piece of the map but was possessed by the Thing. Septimus, Jenna and Beetle enter the House of Foryx, but accidentally all three of them go inside. There Septimus is taken inside a door by a girl named Talmar Ray Bell and Septimus finds himself face to face with Hotep-Ra, first ExtraOrdinary wizard. In the meantime Jenna and Beetle find Nicko and Snorri and all of them try to escape the House of Foryx. Just as they were about to leave, Marcia and Sarah arrive outside the house on Spit Fyre, so all of them are able to return to their own time.(less)

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Mar 25, 2009

EJ Johnson rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fantasy readers

Recommended to EJ by: Lydia

I really liked this book. I think the author is clever and fun to read without being too juvenile. However, there are very juvenile things that happen. Like with the other books in the series, the adults don't listen and the kids don't explain themselves enough. But also like the other books, the adults really like the kids they are responsible for and try their best to take care of them. Also in the end the adults help save the day. In this book, Septimus, Jenna, and Beetle go on a quest to sav...more

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Oct 23, 2011

Aaronaldridge rated it

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This is the fourth book in the Septimus Heap series that is filled with ADVENTURE, ACTION and MAGIC. To tell the truth I really enjoyed this book. The main object of this book was three characters Septimus, Jenna, and Beetle go on an adventure to save Nicko and Snorri who are trapped in the house of Foryx. They can not leave the house of Foryx until someone from their time goes into the house then they can leave.

On their way to rescue Nicko and Snorri they run into alot of problems a...more

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Oct 09, 2011

Jessica rated it

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Synopsis:
There's trouble at the Castle, and it's all because Merrin Meredith has returned with Darke plans for Septimus. More trouble awaits Septimus and Jenna in the form of Tertius Fume, the ghost of the very first Chief Hermetic Scribe, who is determined to send Septimus on a deadly Queste. But Septimus and Jenna have other plans—they are headed for the mysterious House of Foryx, a place where all Time meets and the place where they fervently hope they will be able to find Nicko and Sno...more

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Jul 28, 2010

P.M. rated it

· review of another edition

When "Physyk" ended, Nicko and Snorri were stranded in Marcellus Pye's time. Septimus and Jenna were determined to retrieve their brother Nicko no matter what and perhaps Snorri incidentally. Meanwhile, Merrin Meredith has muddied the waters by creating a Thing which he offloads on Tertius Fume who is just looking for a way to create havoc for Marcia, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Septimus is tricked into accepting a Queste stone from which no Apprentice has ever returned alive. Luckily, M...more

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Jun 30, 2010

Vonette rated it

· review of another edition

Overall, I'm really enjoying this series. But some of the books seem better put-together than others. This one seems to have a few issues. I was expecting the story thread of the dragonboat and the remedy that Jenna picked up during her foray into the past in book 3 to at least be mentioned in this book. I am greatly puzzled that Jenna did not seem to use the remedy or even remember it when she returned to her own time.

I also had a lot of issues with the House of Foryxxx. The ...more

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Jun 25, 2009

Gloria added it · review of another edition

Shelves: advisory

In the book Queste by Angie Sage, Jenna, Septimus, and Beetle needs to find a way to return back from the past. They need to look for Nicko and Snorri. They need to go to the House of Foryx, the location where all the times meet. Merrin wants to destroy Septimus and bumps into Jenna. The notes dropped and got wet, the notes tell them where to go. Jenna needs to get another copy of the notes so she goes to look for Ephaniah. Merrin was working in the Manuscriptorium where he finds a ghost of Ter...more

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May 16, 2011

Shelly rated it

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Shelves: fantasy, juvenile-lit

One thing that I don't like about this series is Merrin. He is so obnoxious and not fun to read about.

This series is like a fantasy soap opera for children. It's fun, it's entertaining, it sucks you in, the quality is not remarkably high, but you become invested in whats going on, important things sort of fizzle away for a while, and you find yourself wondering if you missed something, but really the author just moved onto something else for a while, and on and on.

And...more

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Jan 06, 2012

Harold Ogle rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of comic fantasy

Shelves: ya, fantasy

Book four of the fantasy series about Beetle, Septimus, Princess Jenna and all of the people connected to them. Just as well-written (and funny!) as the previous books, Queste has a mild draw-back in that, while the story was clearly laid-out books in advance, the Queste of the title still somehow feels tacked-on, because it has never been mentioned before now.

From the previous book, we know that Snorri and Nicko have disappeared in Time, and so the first part of the book involves al...moreBook four of the fantasy series about Beetle, Septimus, Princess Jenna and all of the people connected to them. Just as well-written (and funny!) as the previous books, Queste has a mild draw-back in that, while the story was clearly laid-out books in advance, the Queste of the title still somehow feels tacked-on, because it has never been mentioned before now.

From the previous book, we know that Snorri and Nicko have disappeared in Time, and so the first part of the book involves all the different characters' reactions to their absence. Unlike us, these characters do not know where Snorri and Nicko have gone, and spend a lot of time searching in different directions. Meanwhile, the tragicomic Darke apprentice Merrin tricks Simon into leaving his lair so that Merrin can escape and exact his revenge on Septimus. Septimus is completely unaware of Merrin's antipathy; Merrin has built his envy for Septimus into a twisted, burning hatred that can only be satisfied with the complete ruin of the ExtraOrdinary Wizard Apprentice. His plot involves a very complicated spell in multiple parts, which he starts before leaving the lair (with comic results). But once he returns to the Castle, any sense of urgency departs, and Merrin begins looking for a way to settle down. He knows he can't return to the Tower, so he finds work as a scribe at the Manuscriptorium, where he irritates Beetle to no end. Septimus, Jenna and Beetle meet with Marcellus to get documents that Snorri gave to Marcellus hundreds of years earlier. It turns out that there is a legend of a place called "The House of Foryx" (which is akin to saying they lived in Oz or at the top of Jack's Beanstalk: featured in a number of fairy tales, the house is a magical place guarded by the giant foryx monsters), which exists outside of Time. The documents include a very detailed map to the House. Septimus and Jenna are delighted to have the map; Beetle is mostly delighted just to be close to Jenna. Merrin, scurrying back to his hideout, knocks down Jenna in the rain, and then in a fit of pique, he tears the papers (including the map) into dozens of pieces and flees before Beetle can recognize him Beetle takes the disconsolate Jenna deep into the bowels of the Manuscriptorium to visit the reclusive restoration specialist scribe Ephaniah Grebe, who lives in near total seclusion in the deepest cellars of the Manuscriptorium. Many years earlier, Ephaniah was hexed to become a giant rat, but with the help of Morwenna, he managed to regain some human characteristics, even though he still appears as mostly rat. Ephaniah agrees to help restore the water damaged, shredded map. The map is restored except for one missing piece: the very center of the map, containing the actual House of Foryx. They try to find the missing piece to no avail, and in the end resolve to use the map as it is. But Beetle loses his job over taking Jenna into the Manuscriptorium, and so he spends much of the rest of the book torn between delight at the growing friendship with the Princess and depression over his lost position. Merrin happily takes Beetle's vacant position at the Manuscriptorium and so encounters the ghost of Tertius Fume, the first Hermetic Scribe. Tertius sees in Merrin (and his hatred of Septimus) a way of bringing further ruin to the wizards, and so he uses Merrin to enact further revenge of his own. Tertius invokes a Gathering, in which all the ghosts of the previous ExtraOrdinary Wizards meet in the Tower to call for the ExtraOrdinary Apprentice to draw a stone from the Questing Pot. The Queste, we discover, is a terrible thing. The Pot is filled with stones, but several of the stones in the Pot are infused with magical properties as Queste stones, which then compel the Apprentice on a long journey from which none have ever returned. Through complicated machinations involving a Darke servant possessing the bodies of several characters, Septimus is tricked into taking the last Queste stone. The ghost of Alther Mella helps Septimus escape the heavily-armed Queste guards (who are supposed to escort the Apprentice on his/her journey but which instead help him/her "disappear") and Septimus sneaks out of the Castle with Jenna and Beetle, off to follow the restored, incomplete map to the House of Foryx. Ephaniah, goaded into leaving his sub-basement out of concern for Jenna and Beetle - the only people in the Castle to have been friendly to him - emerges and finds the last piece of the map stuck to the bottom of Merrin's boot. Ephaniah follows the kids out of the Castle and across the river to the home of the Wendron Witches. The kids need Morwenna's help to find a hidden and magical Forest Way to reach the House of Foryx, and Morwenna is delighted: she's prepared to keep Jenna in exchange for the information. The older Heap brothers are still living in the forest, bachelors mooching off of the infatuated younger witches. Sam, the youngest of the brothers, still has some vestigial emotional connection with his siblings, and so he helps Jenna, Beetle and Septimus escape the witches and find the Forest Way. Morwenna is furious at this betrayal, and that Ephaniah also escapes from her clutches. The Witches declare a renewed antipathy to all outsiders once more. Ephaniah catches up to the kids just after they narrowly escape death at the hands of ravaging foryx. The map is reunited, but Ephaniah is deliriously sick. They do what they can to lessen his fever and leave him in a tree house (film buffs will recognize this as the "Back to the Future 2 move") while they continue onwards to the House.

Rashly, all three of them break down the door to the House, and so they, too, are stuck and unable to leave with any certainty of returning to a given time. They meet Nicko and Snorri and Hotep-Ra himself. The first ExtraOrdinary Wizard is still alive, having continued his studies of magic outside of Time for the last millennium. His sense of time is shot, though, and he's astonished and dismayed to hear that Septimus is the twenty-first Apprentice to go on the Queste. The Queste was originally Hotep-Ra's own idea, as an honorable mission for randomly selected Apprentices to find him and give him the news on what's been happening in the time stream in general and the Castle and Tower specifically since the last update. On hearing about Tertius, Hotep-Ra reveals that Tertius was his best friend in life, but that Tertius was actually false and had only ingratiated himself into Hotep-Ra's trust in order to betray him with a Darke magic attack on the Tower. Hotep-Ra banished him from the Tower, and Tertius has apparently been planning whatever mischief he could from beyond the grave ever since. This has chiefly involved sabotaging the Queste and subverting the Queste guards to assassinate all the Apprentices.

Septimus works some fancy magic to use Hotep-Ra's door (a double to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard's door in the Tower) to transmit graffiti from one door to the other. Eventually Marcia realizes that Septimus is trying to communicate with her, and she brings Spit Fyre the dragon to the House and they let Beetle, Jenna, Nicko, Snorri and Septimus out of the House into their own Time. They pick up Ephaniah and return to the Castle.

The book is well-written, and this one more than any of the first three strikes me as a response to the Harry Potter books. Like Harry Potter, these books are about a kid who lives much of his childhood with no knowledge of his vast magic potential but who then is elevated into a position of trust and power. Like the Harry Potter books, there is a lot of scary, dark and evil things, as well as more casual supernatural features such as ghosts that the living characters interact with on a regular basis. But there are significant differences in the books that far outweigh any similarities. The setting is very different - the Castle does not in any way resemble any real-world institutions and is not set in our world at all. While the series is named after Septimus, the books are at least as much about all the other characters are they are about the ExtraOrdinary Apprentice: these are ensemble pieces rather than a long story about one character (even if that story arguably was about Snape and not Harry in the end). The characters are all flawed and all have limited points of view. For instance, instead of a cryptically ethereal Dumbledore, you have Marcia Overstrand, a bumbling pile of bombast who works her will on the world by bulling through all obstacles. But the most important difference is that the Angie Sage books are funny; Merrin's hatred would make him a despicable villain in the Harry Potter universe akin to Lucius Malfoy, but in these books he is often more comic than horrific. The scene with him attempting to summon the Thing is classic comedy, as is his primary method of coping with stuff that comes up: ignoring problems until he is forced to run away from them. Each of the characters has its own idiosyncrasies that endear them to me, and the humor of the books is what brings me back again and again more than anything else. High drama has its place, but if J.K. Rowlings books are Sophoclean dramas, Sage's books are comedies from Aristophanes. So if you've been looking for more humor in your young adult fantasy fiction, look no further.(less)

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Jun 09, 2011

Lucy rated it

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I found I got through this Septimus Heap book much quicker than the others. It still took a while to get going but the end of the previous book (Physik) felt like much more of a cliff hanger than the previous books in the series so Queste felt like more of a sequel than just another book with the same characters. I wanted to find out what had happened after the last book so I was eager to get going. I was pretty impressed to, I’ve liked the other Septimus Heap books but the series seems to be ge...more

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Oct 30, 2009

Rebecca added it · review of another edition

Queste is the fourth addition to the Septimus Heap series and it is a very good addition indeed.

I really liked Queste, it picks up where the third book finished. The story line is really good one, while in places it's slightly muddled it all patches itself up in the end and it makes for a really good read.

I like all of the characters, they're all individuals and I think Septimus is really cool. He's a great protagonist.

Overall, Queste is a highly entertaining read. ...more

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May 19, 2010

Dana rated it

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Shelves: novel-series, on-my-bookshelf, favorites

I couldn't bring myself to give this only four stars, even though I felt it wasn't quite as good as Physik. This is pretty good coming from me, considering how low I thought of the first two books. I'm glad I started this series though, and reading the first two books is totally worth reaching Physik and Queste (and I'm anticipating Syren!) I'd like to just point out two things; one, DomDaniel is finally gone, for good this time, and good riddance. He is probably the lamest, dullest villian I've...moreI couldn't bring myself to give this only four stars, even though I felt it wasn't quite as good as Physik. This is pretty good coming from me, considering how low I thought of the first two books. I'm glad I started this series though, and reading the first two books is totally worth reaching Physik and Queste (and I'm anticipating Syren!) I'd like to just point out two things; one, DomDaniel is finally gone, for good this time, and good riddance. He is probably the lamest, dullest villian I've ever crossed in the literature world, such that I can't believe he can be called a villian. Infact, none of the several villians I found in this series are even half-way intimidating except for Queen Etheldredda, and sadly she made her first and last appearance in Physik. But atleast I don't have to put up with the annoyance of DomDaniel anymore; the guy never did anything, just got other people to do it for him, and he was killed so easily all three times (I mean, his bones were eaten by a dragon barely an hour after his ghost came back. Loser. Go Spit Fyre!) and now the story lacks a central villian. However, in Queste, Sage proved that you don't nessecarily always need one of those, just so long as the main characters have a goal. Another thing; Simon and Merrin come back, but Simon has given up on Darke magyk after being doublecrossed by DomDaniel. Merrin is not so ready to let go of the past. Although he is only a less-than-confident teenager, he is a determined, angry teenager, and we all know how much trouble one of them can cause. And a new villian (yet another one) seems to be peaking out, a ghost by the name of Tertius Fume. Since ghosts are pretty limited I'm not sure what sort of threat he can pose but he's got a Thing on his side and is working with Merrin (self-renamed Daniel Hunter, haha that was funny when he went to the Manuscriptorium and told Beetle his name was Septimus Heap!)
I think I need to reread Flyte because there are certain things I'm confused about. Plus, I don't understand how Aunt Ells ended up in the House of Foryx when she fell through the Glass and Septimus ended up in the Old Way when he did. Or is it because the latter was made by Marcellus Pye? Uh, I dunno, I'm sounding like a real Septimus Heap fan now so if Angie Sage can charm me I'm sure plenty of other fantasy-fans will get hooked on this series too!(less)

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Sep 13, 2010

CekMoNSter rated it

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Shelves: english, fantasy

Well, After a rather disappointing continuation in the previous book (my personal opinion, so no heart feeling) I was surprised to read the next book Queste which was as good as the First book in the series.
The story continues with Septimus treating the people from Sicknesse, and later had himself preoccupied with his assignment as an Apprentice. ON the other end, the fake Septimus Heap with the real name of Merrin Meredith has a plan on his own. (I hate this boy!!!) Anyway, he made a dea...more

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Mar 25, 2011

Michael Culbertson rated it

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Shelves: fantasy

I almost gave this one four stars, since I found the climax pretty exciting---Septimus meets a very prominent (and unexpected) Castle figure. I wished, though, that we heard a bit more of their conversation, as an opportunity to provide further development of the Castle mythos.

Toward the beginning I was a bit annoyed by the fact that the children insisted on setting out on their quest without asking any help of adults. True, they do have some assistance from a couple of adults, but o...more

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Sep 21, 2009

Lindsey rated it

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This series is often compared to Harry Potter, but I think in many ways it’s much different. The only parallels that I see are that it involves a boy, who at one point is an orphan, and magic. Definitely written for a younger audience, the Septimus books have a tendency to be a little silly sometimes and the endings easily resolved. However, in contrast, Sage deftly creates an interesting world with often odd and humorous characters who have the ability to surprise the reader. The plot structure...moreThis series is often compared to Harry Potter, but I think in many ways it’s much different. The only parallels that I see are that it involves a boy, who at one point is an orphan, and magic. Definitely written for a younger audience, the Septimus books have a tendency to be a little silly sometimes and the endings easily resolved. However, in contrast, Sage deftly creates an interesting world with often odd and humorous characters who have the ability to surprise the reader. The plot structures of each story vary, and, to any fantasy reader’s great joy, she doesn’t use the same antagonist throughout every single book. Some of the characters switch sides, and other, new bad guys emerge as the series progresses. Also, unlike many series writers, Sage will start a chain of events that last throughout several books, continuing to hook readers from book to book. She does not wrap everything up neatly, but is still able to finish a book in a way that makes the story seem complete. Then, the reader has the anticipation of discovering how some of the issues that arise in earlier books will unravel in later additions.

As each book passes, more and more interested elements reveal themselves about the world that Angie Sage has created. I love the concept of the House of Foryx, the Witch’s Way, the Queste and how it was initially intended to work, but that it was distorted from its original purpose. Also, Hotep-Ra showing up in the House of Foryx was another great twist that I didn’t see coming. On a literary note, Sage has proven to have a keen ability to continue to evolve her characters from story to story in a way that’s not only enticing to readers, but also shows a larger character arc that makes the characters seem very palatable. I could imagine myself in this world, interacting with these magical people. Septimus and Jenna especially wrestle with many internal issues that often mirror the difficult circumstances that happen around them. It’s brave of Sage to show that the two main protagonists can make the wrong decisions, which lead to catastrophic things happening in not only their lives, but the lives of everyone else around them as well. Even throughout books four and five, Jenna still struggles over the fact that her decision to lead Septimus into the room with the two-way mirror in book three has split her family apart. I recommend all the books in this series to readers 9+.

-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com (less)

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Nov 16, 2011

Firestar rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 16, 2012

Charity rated it

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It took me a while to finish the fourth book of this series primarily due to focusing my attention on other aspects of my life. It wasn't due to any boredom of the book or lack of action. The story continues telling the adventures of Septimus Heap as he remains as the apprentice to the hot-headed Marcia Overstrand. This time the adventures take him on a Queste; the same quests that over 20 past apprentices have not returned from. After accidentally accepting the questing stone, Septimus, Pri...more

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Mar 30, 2009

Farragut High Library added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

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Aug 01, 2010

Dona rated it

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Shelves: my-own

Sebelumnya, Septimus, Jenna dan Ullr berhasil kembali ke Masa Sekarang, masa dimana mereka seharusnya berada. Namun Nicko dan Snorri masih terjebak di masa enam ratus tahun lalu. Septimus meminta bantuan Marcellus Pye, yang kini kelihatan muda namun terkadang berperilaku seperti orang tua dan pelupa.

Marcellus bercerita bahwa di masa enam ratus tahun lalu, dia pernah bertemu dengan Nicko dan Snorri. Marcellus memperlakukan mereka dengan baik dan diijinkan untuk tinggal di rumahnya, na...moreSebelumnya, Septimus, Jenna dan Ullr berhasil kembali ke Masa Sekarang, masa dimana mereka seharusnya berada. Namun Nicko dan Snorri masih terjebak di masa enam ratus tahun lalu. Septimus meminta bantuan Marcellus Pye, yang kini kelihatan muda namun terkadang berperilaku seperti orang tua dan pelupa.

Marcellus bercerita bahwa di masa enam ratus tahun lalu, dia pernah bertemu dengan Nicko dan Snorri. Marcellus memperlakukan mereka dengan baik dan diijinkan untuk tinggal di rumahnya, namun Nicko dan Snorri berencana untuk pergi ke suatu tempat. Tempat itu mereka ketahui dari Bibi Ells, yang merupakan nenek buyut ke'sekian' dari Snorri. Bibi Ells bercerita bahwa dia juga pernah mengalami kejadian seperti yang dialami oleh Nicko dan Snorri. Dia tiba-tiba sudah berada di rumah Foryx, yang disebut sebagai tempat Bersinggungnya Waktu. Nicko dan Snorri dapat kembali ke masa mereka jika ada orang dari masa mereka yang datang ke masa itu. Nicko dan Snorri pun merencanakan perjalanan mereka dengan detail menuju Rumah Foryx, dan menitipkan peta serta list perlengkapan yang mereka bawa kepada Marcellus, berharap Marcellus memberikannya pada Septimus dan dapat membawa mereka 'pulang'.

Dan di masa sekarang, peta dan list itu sudah berada di tangan Marcellus, namun kondisinya sangat rapuh. Dalam perjalanan kembali ke Istana, karena Marcia mengacaukan pertemuan itu dan memerintahkan Septimus untuk kembali ke Kastil, Jenna menabrak seseorang sehingga menyebabkan peta dan listnya basah terkena air hujan dan rusak total. Hampir menangis, Bettle lewat dan setelah mengetahui masalahnya, dia menawarkan peta itu untuk dibawa ke suatu tempat untuk memperbaikinya. Betapa terkejutnya Jenna melihat manusia tikus yang akan memperbaiki petanya. Setelah dijelaskan, bahwa dia, Ephaniah Grebe adalah manusia yang dikutuk, Jenna menyerahkan peta itu untuk diperbaiki. Namun, ada bagian yang hilang dari peta itu, dan mereka harus menemukannya.

Di tempat lain, Merin merencanakan sesuatu yang jahat pada Septimus. Dengan bantuan Tertius Fume, dan juga Mahluk yang selama ini mengikuti Merin, mereka pun ingin menjebak Septimus untuk melakukan perjalanan Queste.
Dalam perjalanan untuk membawa Nicko dan Snorri 'pulang', Septimus menemukan batu Queste di tangannya, dan secara tidak sengaja, Jenna dan Bettle ikut terjebak dalam Queste itu.

Perjalanan mereka pun dimulai, walaupun peta mereka belum utuh. Si Mahluk berusaha mencelakai Septimus, dan sekaligus hampir mencelakai Jenna dan Bettle juga. Ternyata perjalanan mereka tidak sia-sia. Mereka akhirnya bisa bertemu dengan Nicko, pertemuan yang sedikit mengharukan. Bagaimana mereka bisa bertemu Nicko dan Snorri tanpa peta yang belum lengkap? Benarkah Rumah Foryx, yang selama ini hanya dongeng, memang nyata? Dan yang paling penting, berhasilkah mereka semua melewati Queste dan kembali ke Masa Sekarang dengan selamat? Find all when you read it..^_^(less)

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Aug 01, 2011

Kara rated it

· review of another edition

For the last 5 years the newest book has come out just before my birthday so my husband knows just what to get me. Funny thing is most years I forget all about it and then I am so excited for my book. I get such a kick out of this series. Each time I get a new book I reread all the books in the series before reading the newest one.

The series has Harry Potter like elements with magic and wizards and a young male hero but is not so dark and a very different writing style. There isn't rea...more

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May 09, 2008

Cara rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, juv-sci-fi-fantasy, magic-and-or-wizards

Good book. I didn't feel like it had quite as much adventure as the other 3, but it was still good. Septimus is forced on a Queste that no other Apprentice has ever survived.
New character: Ephaniah Grebe

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May 16, 2008

Jessica rated it

· review of another edition

I love this series. It's fun, well-written, and has great characters. If you just want a break from reality for a while, I highly recommend it. The first three books in the series are Magyk, Flyte, and Physik.

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Apr 24, 2008

Debbie rated it

· review of another edition

I just love these books! It was witty and kept you on the edge of your seat. It is amazing what kind of creative story lines Angie Sage is able to come up with. I highly recommend it!

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Dec 06, 2008

Micah rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: for-fun

It has been a little too long since I read the previous books in this series to give them a proper review. (Not that I would anyway). This last book felt about as one dimensional as a book could possibly be. here is my summary...

"Hey lets go save our brother"
"Ok that will be hard"
"Oh no we need the map"
"Ok we got it"
"oh no there is a big scarry bridge to cross"
"hey we made it"
"whoo...more

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Oct 19, 2009

Tiffany rated it

· review of another edition

So of course I finished the series. I think this author has talent, but these books were too much like Harry Potter.

Just a side note, I love to read YA fiction and Middle Grade fiction, and whether you want me to or not, I'm going to tell you why.
I've read books like Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and John Adams by David McCullough that were life-changing and absolutely wonderful. But no book has ever made me feel the way that The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett did w...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
This book was terrieble!!	5	20	Jan 09, 2012 04:04pm
not Magyk	2	22	Jul 17, 2009 01:52am
Is there any more?	6	23	Mar 23, 2009 12:24pm

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About Angie Sage

Angie Sage (born 1952) is the author of the Septimus Heap series which includes Magyk, Flyte, Physik and Queste and three future books. She is also the illustrator and/or writer of many children's books, and is the new writer of the Araminta Spookie series.

Angie Sage grew up in Thames Valley, London and Kent. Her father was a publisher. He would bring home blank books that she could fi...more

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“...yelling doesn't make a thing any more possible.” — 65 people liked it

“You could give us a hand instead of staring into space like a constipated camel," Terry Tarsal rudley broke into Marcia's spinning thoughts.” — 12 people liked it

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Queste (Septimus Heap #4)

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